100 Ways to Say I Love You
by Osoji
Summary: His actions speak those three words time and again. / A collection of 100 oneshots that delve into Gajeel and Levy's relationship, exploring snippets of their daily lives.
1. Pull Over

Levy pressed a little harder on the gas, swerving into the left lane to pass the car in front of them. She turned her head and glared at the driver, an elderly woman who appeared to be singing along to the music. Huffing, she veered back into the right lane once the car was far enough away, giving a final scowl to the old lady through the rearview mirror.

Gajeel watched from the passenger seat with mild amusement, one arm resting in the open window and the other firmly holding the uncovered cup of coffee that threatened to tip. They had been driving all day along the coast to visit Levy's family upstate, and being stuck in a small convertible had taken a toll on the both of them. They had opted for the scenic route, which gave them a fantastic view of the ocean, but also cut them off from any signs of civilization — radio and cellular service had been lost a good three hours ago, and as the final leg of their journey approached, the gas tank was only a quarter full.

When she slammed on the gas again and the engine roared in frustration, Gajeel reached out and grabbed her arm gently.

"Pull over. Let me drive for a while." His voice was gravelly when he spoke, breaking the silence between them for the first time in an hour. She turned to look at him disapprovingly, as if he'd just made the most inane suggestion in the world.

"We're already late and low on gas! There's no time to stop, the sun's going to go down, and besides, once we reach the city you won't know the directions to the hou—"

Gajeel suddenly jerked her arm upwards, steering the car back onto the highway moments before they veered into some desert shrubs.

"You were saying?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. Levy could just hear the smirk on his face. She sighed and frowned at the steering wheel, refusing to look at him, and pressed the gas pedal as far as it would go.

"The hell—! We are not going through this again," Gajeel demanded, grabbing her wrist.

"Fine," Levy snapped, jerking her arm away from him. Gajeel fell back against his seat as and she slowly brought their car to a stop on the side of the road, riding the brake for a bit longer than necessary to piss him off. She remained in her seat with the seatbelt on even as he exited and walked around to her, and when he opened the door, Levy's arms were crossed and cheeks puffed, resembling something like a defiant kitten. She looked cute as hell, and Gajeel had half a mind to rile her up even more.

On the other hand, he wasn't too keen on listening to her yell at him for the next however-long-it-took to their destination.

"C'mon Lev," he grunted, "take a break."

"We're late," Levy repeated sternly as she unbuckled her seatbelt, "and Nan hates it when someone's late for dinner, you know how she is, and—" Gajeel grabbed her around the waist before her left foot even touched the ground, reaching inside to turn the ignition. In one swift motion, he grabbed the keys and spun around, lifting Levy into the air and closing the car door all at once.

"Gajeeeeeel," she whined as he ran off the road and down into the dry terrain, slinging her over his shoulder. He didn't stop until they he felt sand beneath his feet, finally setting down a disgruntled Levy. She promptly punched him in the side, but he only grinned and wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders, pulling her around to stand next to him. Levy stared at her feet and silently fumed, refusing to give in to his touch.

"I'd rather not show up to your family reunion as the guy who let his girlfriend die at the wheel," Gajeel said after a few moments, earning another fist to the stomach.

"We're not leaving until you stop being mad at me."

"Fine then, I guess we're never leaving."

Gajeel pressed her to his side and squeezed her shoulder until she relented, relaxing beside him and wrapping an arm around his back. He let out a chuckle and looked down at her, her face still obscured by messy blue curls.

"That's better," he hummed, "but yer still missin' the view." He tilted her chin up, and when she resisted, laid his palm flat against chin and pushed. Levy made a noise from the back of her throat, but before she could open her mouth to protest, her eyes were met with a beautiful fusion of colors, oranges and blues and pinks blended perfectly together for as far as she could see.

Everything else seemed to stop as they stood there, and they watched sky change into deep reds and purples. Levy finally came back to her senses as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon and she felt Gajeel's warm lips on her cheek.

"Time to go, Lev," he murmured into her ear. "We're still late."


	2. One More Chapter

**A/N: So in case it wasn't clear, this will be a collection of Gajeel x Levy ficlets, some of which may be AUs. My apologies to anyone who thought it would be a continuous story, but hopefully the title and the updated description clears things up. I do have a few ideas for multi-chapter fics, but I'm not committed to any of them and don't have the time to flesh them out right now, so we'll see.**

 **Thank you so much to everyone who followed, favorited and/or reviewed so far, your encouragement means a lot! I'll stop rambling now, this one's on the short side but h** **ope you enjoy c:**

* * *

"One more chapter."

Levy felt the vibrations of Gajeel's words from his chest before she heard them, and she turned her face up to look at him, nose grazing the bottom of his chin.

"Tomorrow. I'm too tired," she sighed, "and my throat is dry." She marked her page with a small ribbon, set it down on the bedside table, and let him massage her shoulders, enjoying the sensation of his rough skin kneading out her sore muscles.

Eventually, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down with him, cocooning their bodies in the comforter before finally releasing her to his side.

"I thought you said you didn't like that book?" she teased, prodding him in the abdomen. "Or books in general? Did you finally realize that you were being bullheaded and give the story a chance?" She grinned triumphantly, hugging his arm.

"Sure, shorty, somethin' like that. Whatever helps you sleep," he mumbled into her skin and reached over her small frame, clicking the lamp off.

 _Your voice is soothing_ , Gajeel thought, pulling her closer to his chest. _I like listening to you talk._

He didn't realize he said that out loud until she pecked him on the lips and whispered, "I love you too."


	3. It Reminded Me of You

It happened during the early stages of their relationship, when they displayed an obvious mutual attraction but were both still self-conscious enough to keep from being completely comfortable around each other.

Levy had invited Gajeel to stay for the evening, and they ended up huddled together on the couch under a fluffy blanket, watching cheesy romances and eating takeout sushi. She eventually fell asleep in his arms, curled against his side with her head on his shoulder.

It was the first time Gajeel realized he would be perfectly content if every night ended with her next to him.

The next day, however, was a different story.

Levy was already up when Gajeel awoke, and when he walked into the kitchen, she was leaning over the counter reaching for a box of cereal on the top shelf. He came up from behind her and brought the box down, but not before the first height joke slipped through his lips. She tensed, the first signs of irritation etched across her face, but continued preparing their meal.

In his hazy, uncaffeinated mind, Gajeel probably unleashed a few more poorly-timed insults that morning, and before he even touched the bowl of cereal in front of him, he found himself being pushed out the door by very small, forceful hands. He opened his mouth, trying to muster up any sort of semi-coherent apology, but instead felt a small object bounce off his head and the _whoosh_ of cool air left by the slamming door. He turned around just in time to see scrunched eyebrows and a blur of blue.

Dumbfounded, he stood staring at the door for a few minutes before lowering his eyes, spotting the thing that Levy threw at his head. It was a small plastic bird with two brilliant blue wings, one making a thumbs-up sign and the other holding a bowl of cereal that resembled the one Gajeel almost had for breakfast. He picked the toy up and slipped it into his pocket before slowly making his way down the driveway.

He spent the rest of the week replaying that morning in his head.

* * *

Years later, while she was cleaning out one of his drawers in their new apartment, she reached to the far corner and her fingertips met with lint and cheap plastic. Curious, Levy pulled the object out, revealing a crudely made bluebird figurine holding a bowl of cereal, its paint worn from age. Her eyes widened as she recalled their botched date from so long ago, smiling fondly before slipping it into her shirt pocket.

As they were getting ready to sleep that night, she threaded her fingers around his and pulled herself up to his side, staring into his ruby eyes.

"Gajeel," she started, and he slowly propped himself up on his shoulders before she continued, "do you remember when I kicked you out of my house? Way back when we first started seeing each other?"

He let out a low rumbling laugh and dropped his head back down on the pillow, running a hand through her curls. "Gonna have to be more specific, shortstack, that happened more times than I can remember."

Levy stuck out her tongue and leaned over the side of the bed, grabbing her shirt off the ground in search of the little bird. She crawled on top of him then, face hovering over his as she held the plastic toy inches from his nose.

"Remember now?" she breathed, and his heart skipped a beat. "Why… why did you keep this? I was so angry with you that day…"

He stared at her for a moment longer as she set the toy down before bringing his arms around her waist, caressing her back until she was lying down on top of him.

Cupping her face in his hands, he whispered, "because it reminded me of you," and captured her lips in a kiss.

* * *

 **A/N: College starts again for me next week, so I apologize for the spotty updates! I'll try my best to update (semi) regularly. I have lots of ideas and a few drafts written out so far, but I don't know how much free time I'll have to flesh them out to my liking. Thank you to everyone who's reviewed/faved/followed!**


	4. Call Me When You Get Home

She made her way to the dimly lit exit, praying that her friends would either be understanding of her early departure, or too drunk to care. While Levy did agree to grab some drinks to unwind after a long week, she hadn't expected to go bar-hopping, and she _certainly_ did not expect to end up at a nightclub in downtown Magnolia. After a few shots and two rounds of dancing — if you could call it that, Levy had been jostled and stepped on more than anything else — she was ready to dip and call it a night.

 _I'll text Lucy later. And Cana's probably with her anyways, so I'm good,_ Levy rationalized. She didn't want to ruin their fun night out just because she had some work to get done, preferably without the added stress of nursing a hangover. She began to make her way to the door, pushing through the crowd of sweaty heads and jerky elbows.

Levy fished her phone out of her purse, tapping the screen to activate the fluorescent backlight that announced it was now 1:48 a.m. _Damn._ She figured it was too late for the buses to be running, and too far to walk back to her apartment. But, she suddenly remembered, this place wasn't too far from Juvia's house, so surely she could crash there for a night?

Convincing herself that Juvia wouldn't mind, Levy quickly texted her friend, eyes glued to the phone screen and only vaguely aware of the general direction of the exit sign — and walked straight into something hard and dark, barely missing the wall.

She looked up and began to mutter a hasty apology, but quickly lost her voice as the man slowly turned around. He was huge, well over a foot taller than her, with piercings scattered across his face and jet black hair that fell in unruly patterns down his back. Half his face was obscured by shadows, the other half a flickering red and green from the club lights on the dance floor. She thought she saw his expression flit from a scowl, to a split-second unreadable _something_ , before a wide smirk settled across his features.

"And where do ya think you're goin'?" The man crossed his arms, standing as an unmoving obstacle between Levy and the world outside. She didn't think it was possible for anyone to fill up an entire doorway; he even blocked the breeze from assaulting her.

"Home," Levy lied as casually as possible, trying to conceal the shakiness of her voice. _Why did he care in the first place?_

She looked up directly at him, momentarily wondering if the crimson glint in his eyes was just a trick in the dim lights, or a result of her tipsiness, or both. Again, Levy saw something flash across his expression, but he composed himself again instantaneously, letting out a strange laugh.

"It's two in the fucking morning, I'm not lettin' you go anywhere past this door alone," the man retorted.

Levy huffed at the man, growing more irritated at his condescending attitude. "My place is only like, five minutes away. Ten minutes tops. Just let me _go,_ " she snapped. Who did he think he was?!

"The damn security guard," he rolled his eyes in response, and only then did Levy realize she voiced her last thought out loud. But whatever, she was past the point of caring already.

"…'m not about to end up as the bouncer who let some girl leave a club an' be held responsible for her death or some shit, okay? By the looks of it, you don't have a car, and probably shouldn't be behind the wheel anyways. And walkin's outta the question this early in the morning." He folded his arms across his broad chest, and somehow looked even more menacing than before in the harsh light.

Levy let out an exasperated groan. "I'm not drunk," She shot back angrily, "and I already woke up Juvia, but _fine_ , I'll stay put." She started tapping away at her phone again to notify her. Suddenly, warmth enveloped her hand and she felt rough fingers brush against her palm. Before she could register that her phone was taken, it reappeared under her fingertips.

" _Fine,_ " he mimicked her. "I know Juvia, and I know where she lives, and I guess it's a close enough walk on the main road to make. Just don't take a damn stroll. And call that number the second you get 'home,'" he added sarcastically with air quotes, "So I know you haven't been murdered, and I haven't lost my fucking job."

Levy looked up at him and stared for a moment second longer before realizing what he was implying, and her face split into a bright smile. "Cool, thanks! I will!" she exclaimed, and she meant it. Levy rushed past him into the cool night air, turning back to wave in appreciation before rounding the corner. In that moment, she caught a glimpse of his entire face illuminated by the moonlight, with one raised eyebrow and a lopsided grin, eyes gleaming.

She looked back down at the new contact in her phonebook, the stranger who she now owed a call.

 _Gajeel._


	5. You're Warm

She had been shivering all day, having underestimated the chill of winter winds, and wanted nothing more than to drown herself in a cozy sweater, hot cocoa, and whatever else brought eternal warmth - enough that she was willing to push off the rest of their holiday shopping, despite her earlier chiding for him to hurry up. Which is why he quirked up an amused eyebrow when, teeth still chattering, she walked straight into their bedroom and stripped off all her clothing instead, quickly crawling back under the covers. Her sniffling was not lost on him, and when she let out a particularly audible wail, he figured he should at least _try_ to help. It was already dark out too, so he sighed and resigned himself to an early night, shuffling under the comforter with her and chuckling as she latched onto his arm immediately.

He could feel her trembling in his embrace, desperately trying to steal his body heat - he wouldn't tease her about it this time, he decided, when he felt the spray of her impossibly cute sneeze on his chest. He felt her breath on his skin a moment later, a long gasp and the quiet whimper of _m'sorry_ reaching his ears. He let out another laugh and ruffled her hair as she shifted even closer, pressing her whole torso against his, sending chills down his own spine. He sighed contently, tracing soft patterns between her shoulder blades, marveling at how soft her skin always was.

Mere minutes passed before her breathing evened out, leaving him no option but to stay still and hope that her cold would be gone by morning, lest he risk waking her. His dragon slayer metabolism was finally useful, he mused, observing the peaceful face inches from his. Because how else would he keep his light warm?

* * *

 **A/N: This week is finals week so naturally, I decided to write small blurbs of extreme cheese instead of study. Ha ha hahaahaa...**


	6. Happy Birthday

"Happy birthday."

Barely awake, Levy burrowed her face into the crook of Gajeel's neck and trailed her mouth up his throat, trying to wiggle out from under the dead weight of his arm draped over her. His still-sleeping form moved slightly, and she used the opportunity to nudge him onto his back and crawl on top of him, wrapping her arms behind his neck and weaving her fingers through his hair. The large man groaned at the sudden pressure and slowly came to as soft giggles filled his ears, and he placed his large palms on either side of her slender waist to still the restless girl on top of him.

"Happy birthday," she repeated before planting a kiss on his mouth. Gajeel leaned forward and met her halfway before turning on his side to hover over her, eliciting another peal of laughter as Levy tightened her grip around his shoulders and fell back onto the bed.

"Not my birthday," he murmured, pulling her in close. "Don't have one, remember?"

"Idiot. Everyone has a birthday," Levy met his playful smirk with her own, "doesn't matter if you don't know when it is. And even if you don't care, I do. So, _birthday boy_ , what do you want for your birthday?"

The dragon slayer ignored her question and instead pressed his face to her collarbone, inhaling deeply. Levy shuddered as he dotted kisses up from her neck to her jawline.

"Nothin'," he yawned, letting out a puff of warm air. "Go back to sleep." He tucked her head underneath his chin and pulled the comforter back up before rewrapping an arm around her body, anchoring them both down for another few hours of rest.

But before he even fully sank his head into the pillow, Levy yanked on his hair, earning a low growl as he leaned back narrowed his eyes at her.

"That's no fun," she whined, undeterred by his glare. "We can't just waste the entire day. It's your birthday, Gajeel, we should go into town, and do something exciting, and celebrate —"

"It's _not_ my goddamn birthday, Levy." He cut off sharply, annoyance evident in his tone. The curt interruption left her speechless and she met his sharp gaze with startled, sad eyes, and Gajeel's expression quickly dissolved into regret. Because while he wasn't nearly as good at deciphering her as she was him, he could read her body language well enough to tell that she was upset — worried that she'd made him angry or done something wrong, by the looks of it — and, not for the first time, he regretted lashing out so recklessly. The man let out a sigh and wrapped his arms around her shoulders to cradle her head, and she brought her hands between them and began tracing the hard planes of his chest, fingers lingering over his heart where his pulse was beating erratically.

"You do this every year," Levy started, sucking in a breath tentatively before continuing. "Every time I mention your birthday in any way, you know, and it's more of a… more of a formal excuse to spend time with you and give you something special. And I guess… I guess I don't understand why you always hate it. Sorry," she whispered the last part, trailing off quietly. Gajeel could hear the hurt in her voice and felt his heart drop at hearing her apologize for something that definitelywasn't her fault.

Because, he'd come to learn, that's just how Levy was. She gave him more than enough space to deal with his personal problems and never prodded him about his past, accepting his silence and allowing him to reveal what he wanted at his own pace. But he knew he wasn't right in getting frustrated at her for something he never chose to reveal, and it wasn't fair to make her feel like she was in the wrong. _Especially_ since she was trying to do something nice for him.

"Yeah," he mumbled slowly. "You don't hafta apologize." He tilted her chin up, stroking her cheek until she lifted her eyes to meet his.

"Will you tell me why?" her question hung in the air and Gajeel could hear the hopefulness in her voice, curiosity overcoming her previous hesitancy; but, even though he knew she deserved to know, more than anyone else, he didn't want to say. Under her innocent gaze, however, he surrendered, knowing that the truth would come out eventually anyway.

"Don't deserve any of it," he muttered, half to himself, hoping she wouldn't hear. He already knew what Levy would say in response, and when he watched her eyes widen and felt the swat on his chest a second later, he knew she heard him loud and clear.

"That's not true," Levy frowned, bringing both hands to cup the sides of his face, her gaze unrelenting until he nowhere to look but at her. "You deserve to be happy. And you definitely deserve to be _alive_ , so you deserve to celebrate another year of your life. And don't you _dare_ tell me you don't, Gajeel Redfox." She enunciated the last line with extra force and poked her index finger in the square of his chest, furrowing her brow.

"Yeah, yeah," Gajeel sighed and looked down. "Doesn't mean that extends to deservin' you. But you're here anyways. So ya don't have to do anything else."

Levy's expression softened at his words and when he glanced back up at her, eyes were even wider than he previously thought possible. Her brows were furrowed and her lips pouted into a melancholic expression, something between sorrow and regret, and Gajeel had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at how ridiculously sad she looked.

"Stop it, that's _not true —_ " she started, and this time Gajeel couldn't hold back a wry laugh as he rolled onto his back again and rubbed his eyes. Of course he would be having this conversation with Levy, the one person in the world who had all the right to hate him for the rest of his life, but chose to love him instead.

"— and do you really think I would've stuck around for this long if I didn't want to? Stupid dragon," she murmured, pressing her mouth against his bicep as she entangled his fingers with her own. He didn't say anything to that, just stared up at the ceiling and gave her hand a light squeeze as she wrapped herself closer to his side. She understood the simple gesture perfectly — knew that Gajeel loved her, and loved _hard_ , more than she could ever ask for — and they settled back into a comfortable silence.

"So, Gajeel," Levy started a little while later, right as he was about to doze off again, "now that we're on the same page, I'll ask you again. What do you want for your birthday?" He sighed in defeat as she climbed on top of him again, resting her chin on his chest to grin down on him.

"Sleep," he groaned, punctuating it with an exaggerated yawn. "With you," he elaborated with a sly grin as he pulled her to his side against her protests, easily trapping the small woman in his hold as he threw the covers back over them.

* * *

 **A/N: Yay! An update! My spring break started last Friday, which coincidentally was also my birthday, so I figured I might as well finish this up and post it. It'd been sitting in my drafts for upwards of... four months? I don't even know. I also don't know how it ended up being 1k+ words... but anyways, thanks for the support, as always! c:**


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